Parallel Worlds
by precognativeSPORK
Summary: Set after Series Two: Working late, Toshiko discovers a piece of tech that not only changes her life, but is the first in a series of events that could change Torchwood forever


**Disclaimer - _I pretty much own nothing. I'll leave the owning of Torchwood to the Clever people, and I'll stay in the corner with my safety scissors and glitter glue_**

**Note - _This is only a teaser or pilot if you will... I'm just needing a little bit of feedback on it, so I can decide if I want to continue working on it._**

* * *

2 AM

Toshiko was working late.

Again.

She never planned it. It just sort of happened. She was finishing cataloguing recent acquisitions. Alien artefacts of unknown origin, doomed to be boxed away in the archives until their function and/or purpose was found; most of the time they were just left there to collect dust and take up space.

The hub was quiet except for the hum of machines and the occasional screech from Myfanwy. Tosh looked at the clock on her desk, pushing aside her stuffed tiger to see the display. Jack told her go home four hours ago. She'd gotten too wrapped up in her work, not noticing that everyone else had gone home. Well everyone that had a home to go to, at least. Jack had gone out for 'a walk' shortly after he reminded her of the time and suggested she call it a night. 'I'll only be a few minutes more,' she had said. It wasn't the first time that 'a few minutes' had turned into a few hours.

Sometimes, she just found something that intrigued her so much she couldn't put it down until she found out what it was, where it came from, or what it was for. The current whatever-it-was she held was one of those 'somethings'. She was no closer to figuring it out now than she had been when she started. It was a small piece made of some sort of metal, and shaped like a large, slightly flattened egg. The metal was unusual. It seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. It was strangely beautiful. Tosh could see that, even if she wasn't exactly sure what it was for.

She rolled it around in her hands, looking over every inch of it. There were three small depressions marring the otherwise perfect surface on the left side. Or what she thought was the left side. It didn't really have a definite left or right, or even a top or bottom, not that she could tell anyway. Her fingers drifted over the grooves, lightly touching the metallic material. It was cool, lacking heat like it lacked reflections. Three of her fingers slid into the three depressions. Could they be buttons? She pressed down. The metal gave under her fingertips.

Suddenly a flash of light engulfed the hub. It lasted only a few moments, but it was bright enough that Toshiko was still seeing stars afterwards. She blinked furiously as she waited for her eyes to adjust back to the dimness of the hub. It seemed a bit darker than usual, but that was probably just from the bright light of the flash.

"What was that?" she asked aloud, not really expecting an answer. The device forgotten for the moment, she turned almost immediately to her computer to see if her monitors had picked up anything unusual. All four screens were dark. She looked around the rest of the hub while she tried to reason it out. The regular lighting had been replaced by red security lights. That could mean only one thing. The flash must have knocked out the power and put the base into lock-down.

Toshiko groaned. Without her equipment, she wasn't going to get any more work done tonight. All the questions bubbling around in her head would just have to wait. She took off her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. She should probably get some sleep anyway. Her eyes had been going in and out of focus for the past hour. She'd ignored it as she usually did when she had something to occupy her, but now, ignoring it would prove be more than a little difficult. She was tired.

She got up and out of her work chair and shuffled over to the old couch in the hub. Usually after one of her all-nighters she would trudge up to the seldom-used Long-Term Infirmary. She kept a bed ready just in case, but tonight she just couldn't be bothered. The couch was comfortable enough for a few hours of sleep, and that was all she needed it for. She slid down on the cushions, stretching out along the length of the sofa, falling asleep almost instantly.

###

Ianto Jones arrived at work promptly at eight o' clock. He'd straightened the pamphlets in the Tourist Information Centre before taking the lift down, and entering through the cog door into the main hub. He headed straight for the coffee machine. It had been Ianto's experience that Jack deprived of caffeine was not a Jack that he wanted to deal with. So first thing in the morning, every morning, Ianto made coffee for Jack. He did it so often that it was almost ritual now. He did it so often he wasn't paying attention to anything else.

It was on the way back through the hub to Jack's office that Ianto dropped the coffee cup.


End file.
